Support for electric wires and lamps in cities



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1, 1 W. 0. ALLISON.

Supports for Electric Wires and Lamps in Cities. 'No. 241,179. PatentedMay 10,1881.

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N. PETERSv Phakoiithogrzphar, Washington, D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. O. ALLISON. Supports for Electric Wires and Lampsin Cities. No. 241,179. Patented May 10, 1881.

(No Model.)

N. PETERS. Photo-Lithographer, Wnhinton, D4 6.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

l WILLIAM (J. ALLISON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUPPORT FOR ELECTRIC WIRES AND LAMPS IN CITIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,179, dated May 10,1881.

Application filed February 17, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1', WILLIAM G.ALLIsoN, ofthe city and county ot'Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented an Improvement in Electric-Wire and Electric-Lamp Supports inCities, of which thefollowingis a specifieation.

My invention has reference to supports for telegraph, telephonic, andelectric wires in general, and also for eleetriclamps; anditconsists inarehin g the streets from curb to curb diagonally from the four cornersat the intersection of two streets, and providing said arches withinsulated supports for wires, and in modifications, as set forthhereinafter, the arches to be made of tubing, solid bars, or theirequivalent, and provided with insulated supports on top for the electricwires, which are supported from arch to arch.

The object of my invention is to provide suitable support for theincreasing numberot' electric wires without preventing the passage oflight to the upper stories of buildings, and at the same time to placethe wires in a convenient location for easy repair and inspection.

My invention has further for its object the support of electric lamps inthe middle of the crossings and streets, and about twenty feet from theground, so that a maximum effect will 0 be obtained and the light can beseen everywhere from the street.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a double-arch sprung fromthe four corners of two crossing streets,said arch being united in 5 themiddle. Fig. 2 is a plan of same. Fig. 3 shows a diagram of streets andthe method of arranging the arches and lamps. Figs. 4 and 5 show detailsof construction. Fig. 6 shows an elevation of an arch for the middle ofthe square, (between two streets,) and as made entirely of wrought-irontubin Fig. 7 is a small perspective View of corner arch, and Fig. Sis aperspective of triangular arch at junction of p small and large streets.

4 5 A are the supporting-posts, and may be made of cast-iron, as shownin Fig. 1, or of tubing, as shown in Fi 6. It may be constructed of anydesirable design and properly secured to the ground. At the cross of twostreets one l l l I l of these posts A is secured upon each corner,

and the arches B B,made of wrought-iron tubing, are sprung from post topost diagonally across the street, crossingin the middle, where they aresecured to eastingO; or a part ot'simple girders may be used. Hence eacharch is composed of two sections secured to the casting D on top of thecast or wrought iron posts A and the casting C at the cross of thearches. This is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7. The cast ings D are securedin any suitable manner on top of posts A, as shown in Fig. 4, and aprojecting lug, I], from said piece D extends upward at an anglecorresponding to the arch, and over this projection the arch-tubing Bfits, and is secured by driving a pin through or in any other equivalentmanner. The four sections of the arches B are united in the middle byfitting overthelugsFon the central easting, 0, as shown in Fig. 5; orthe arches may be made of one section and spring from post to post,crossin gin the middle; but I prefer the former as being moreconvenientto erect and keep in order or repair. The sections B arefurther secured to the post, and supported thereon by brackets Gr.

Along the upper part of the arches are the the insulated rings or pins Hfor supporting and carrying the electric wires. Thisinsulated projectionmay project downward, if desired.

The electric lamp I is hung at the intersection of the two arches, andconsequently is located in the middle of the two streets.

The arches or girders in the middle of the square are similar to thosealready described, onlythey are simple or single arches or girders, asshown in Fig. 6; and it'in this case the arch B is made of sections,they must be very firmly connected in themiddle, as this arch is notsupported againstlateral strain other than the electric wires, as in thecase previously set forth. These arches are provided with the insulatedsupport H for the electric wires, and may also have a suitable supportfor the electric lamp in the middle.

WVhere a small street runs into a larger one the arching would be in allrespects similar in construction to those already cited, only in thiscase there will be three half-arches uniting in the middle, as shown inFig. 8; or a single diagonal arch may be used, as shown at J in Fig. 3.

The material most suitable for these arches is wrought-iron tubing; butthe posts may be made of east-iron, if desired.

By this arrangement of supports for the electric wires of alldescriptions none of the light will be materially shut out, as the wireswill be arranged in a single layer, and not four to eight or more aboveone another,as is at prescut the case. In astreetoftwenty-three squares,of four hundred and eighty feet long, and twenty-four electric lamps, orone at each cross of streets, a distance of twenty-two thousand fivehundred and sixty feet or 4.26 miles of street will be illuminated.

The arches should be about twenty feet in the middle, so as to besufficiently high to escape the highest load in turning a corner, and atthe same time to support the lamp at such a height that the greatestluminous efl'ectwill be obtained.

Having now described my invention, what I. claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A support for electric wires and an electric lamp at a crossing oftwo streets, which consists of two simple arches or girders sprung 2 5i1 diagonally from corner to corner and crossing in the middle, fromwhich the electric lamp is hung, said arches being provided withinsulated supports for the electric wires, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

2. In a support for electric wires and an electric lamp, the posts A,provided with caps D, furnished with lugs E, sections of tubular archesB, center casting, (1, provided with lugs F, and insulated supports IIon the sections B for the electric wires, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a support for electric Wires, the tubular posts A, provided withcaps I) to support the tubular arch or girder B, in combination withinsulated wire-supports on the arch, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

\V. (J. ALLISON. Witnesses:

R. S. REED, J OHN G. WHrrJIAN.

